Indiana Softball Ends Regular Season in B1G Way

The Hoosiers ended their regular softball season breaking 40 wins, which led to a high seeding in the Big Ten Tournament starting Wednesday. See the full results from last weekend's series versus Michigan State plus the full Big Ten Tournament schedule.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana softball ended its regular season with a three-game series sweep over Michigan State to conclude with a 40-15 record and 18-5 Big Ten finish.

The first matchup on Friday was short lived for the Spartans as the Hoosiers run-ruled Michigan State 9-1 in five innings. This was the 12th time this season Indiana has cut the game short with its explosive batters.

Saturday's game made history for freshman second baseman Taryn Kern, who set the program's single season RBI total with an RBI double in the bottom of the fourth inning to reach 67 on the season. She also hit her 22nd homer of the season to become the leader of the NCAA in that category.

The Hoosiers took the second game 9-5 which propelled them into a 3-1 victory over Michigan State to finish off the series Sunday. Kern helped break yet another season record as her base hit surpassed the most doubles by any team in a single season with 96.

The 40-win season earned Indiana the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament behind one-seed Northwestern. The Hoosiers will automatically advance to the quarterfinals round on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. ET and face the winner of the Penn State, Michigan game.

The event is a 12-team single elimination style tournament played at Eichelberger Field at the University of Illinois. The winner will receive an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, a feat Indiana hasn't accomplished since the 2011 season. 

Big Ten Tournament Schedule

Wednesday, May 10 (First Round)
Game 1 (#6 Ohio State vs. #11 Rutgers) – 12 noon ET (BTN)
Game 2 (#7 Penn State vs. #10 Michigan) – 2:30 p.m. ET (BTN)
Game 3 (#8 Maryland vs. #9 Iowa) – 5:30 p.m. ET (BTN)
Game 4 (#5 Wisconsin vs. #12 Illinois) – 8 p.m. ET (BTN)

Thursday, May 11 (Quarterfinal)
Game 5 (#3 Minnesota vs. Game 1 winner) – 12 noon ET (BTN)
Game 6 (#2 Indiana vs. Game 2 winner) – 2:30 p.m. ET (BTN)
Game 7 (#1 Northwestern vs. Game 3 winner) – 5:30 p.m. ET (BTN)
Game 8 (#4 Nebraska vs. Game 4 winner) – 8 p.m. ET (BTN)

Friday, May 12 (Semifinals)
Game 9 (Game 5 vs. Game 6 winner) – 6 p.m. ET (BTN)
Game 10 (Game 7 vs. Game 8 winner) – 8:30 p.m. ET (BTN)

Saturday, May 13 (Championship)
Game 11 (Game 9 vs. Game 10 winner) – 4 p.m. ET (BTN)

Related stories on Indiana softball

• INDIANA SOFTBALL FUELED BY KERN Indiana softball second baseman Taryn Kern has left a huge mark on the Hoosiers' season, and it's not even over yet. The freshman leads the nation in home runs and her team in batting average as she looks for the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA SOFTBALL STRIVES TO MAKE NCAA TOURNAMENT The Hoosiers haven't reached the NCAA Tournament since 2011 but have all the tools and fight to do so this season. They've earned their best record since that season 12 years ago with one more regular season series left to play. CLICK HERE